This winter, don't be shocked if a new, more dangerous Covid variety emerges. That’s exactly what American immunologist Dr Anthony Fauci has said: We should be prepared for the possibility that another variety could evolve and circumvent the immunological response that vaccines have induced in people, Fauci has said.
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Fauci was speaking at an event with the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism.There is always a risk of upsurge in the winter, he warned, so people shouldn't let their guard down. Although things appear to be going well, it would be premature to declare that the pandemic is finally finished, he added.
Fauci mentioned how people experienced similar mild pandemic patterns in the summer of 2021, only for the omicron form to appear and trigger a record-breaking increase in cases last winter. Since that time, several sub-variants of omicron have proliferated and taken over in the United States.
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This winter, another brand-new, more contagious version may come into play, according to Fauci. Although it is unknown whether any of the new sub-variants will replace BA.5 as the main Covid strain, recent study reveals that some of them, including one known as BA.4.6, appear to resist immunity even more efficiently than BA.5, CNBC reported.
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That makes getting a new Covid booster designed for omicrons even more crucial, according to Fauci. People are being advised to obtain that particular updated immunisation, which targets the primary circulating type, he added.
On October 7, India logged 1,997 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,46,06,460, while the active cases declined to 30,362, according to the Union Health Ministry data. The death toll climbed to 5,28,754 with nine fatalities which includes three deaths reconciled by Kerala.
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